Japan’s Top Summer Festivals for 2026: Tohoku’s Big Four Lead the Way
Lanterns, taiko drums, whirling dancers, and bonfires on mountain slopes. Summer festival season is almost here, and this year’s ranking tells you exactly where to be.
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SUMMER FESTIVALS
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Muddy Fun at a Music & Organic Vegetable Fest
About 150 festival-goers got muddy and munched on fresh organic produce at a festival in Chiba Prefecture.
Shine on at the Yamaga Lantern Festival
Witness one thousand women dancing with gold and silver lanterns on their head, reenacting an ancient mythical tale.
Osaka's Incredible Danjiri Kishiwada Festival
Nippon TV takes a behind-the-scenes look at Osaka's high-speed Kishiwada Danjiri Festival.
Awesome Ukiyo-e Posters for Shibuya Bon Odori
Designed by contemporary artist Masumi Ishikawa, these posters advertise the Bon Odori Festival taking place in Shibuya for the third year running!
Float On, Giant Princess Kaguya
This year’s Tachinebuta Festival in northeastern Japan has a new, and very tall, princess.
Kyoto's Amazing Gion Festival
Kyoto's incredibly historic, long-standing Gion Festival reached its thrilling climax!
6 Tohoku Festivals in 1!
Tohoku's Kizuna Festival takes place in one of its six prefectures every year in the hopes of a full recovery from the 2011 disasters.
